River Levels
California river levels
Live streamflow for 73 gauged California reaches, highest first. Where a gauge has a long enough record, the reading is placed against its own history for today's date.
46% of gauged California rivers are running in their normal range for the date, as of October 8, 2026.
Of 63 gauged reaches with a long enough USGS record, 24 are below normal (15 of them much below), 29 are in the normal range, and 10 are above normal (4 of them much above). Normal means the middle half of that gauge's own history for this calendar date.
To cite: Paddling Hubs analysis of USGS streamflow, paddlinghubs.com/flows/california. The daily normals behind it are a free download.
| River | Flow | Usually today | Vs normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Rivernear SUP California - Stand Up Paddle Board Store & Rentals | 16,200 cfs104.11 ft | 11,300 cfs | Above normal83rd percentile · 67 yr record |
| Cross Canalnear SUP California - Stand Up Paddle Board Store & Rentals | 12,000 cfs13.74 ft | 10,400 cfs | Normal74th percentile · 81 yr record |
| Sacramento Rivernear Delta Kayak Rentals | 9,380 cfs4.87 ft | Not recorded | No historical record |
| Fabian and Bell Canalnear Delta Kayak Rentals | 2,590 cfs3.24 ft | Not recorded | No historical record |
| American Rivernear SUP California - Stand Up Paddle Board Store & Rentals | 1,790 cfs6.55 ft | 1,670 cfs | Normal54th percentile · 71 yr record |
| Delta-Mendota Canalnear Delta Kayak Rentals | 257 cfs3.17 ft | Not recorded | No historical record |
| Windsor Creeknear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 212 cfs6.41 ft | 221 cfs | Normal47th percentile · 17 yr record |
| Smith Rivernear Smith River Kayaks | 201 cfs4.29 ft | 259 cfs | Much below normal10th percentile · 95 yr record |
| Russian Rivernear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 141 cfs-0.08 ft | 178 cfs | Below normal23rd percentile · 87 yr record |
| North Fork American Rivernear California Watersport Collective | 97 cfs0.48 ft | 49 cfs | Much above normal94th percentile · 85 yr record |
| Santa Ana Rivernear Laguna Ethos | 91 cfs2.20 ft | 87 cfs | Normal52nd percentile · 86 yr record |
| Dry Creeknear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 91 cfs7.85 ft | 97 cfs | Below normal21st percentile · 14 yr record |
| San Joaquin Rivernear O'Neill Forebay Rentals | 86 cfs48.31 ft | 191 cfs | Normal32nd percentile · 17 yr record |
| Chetco Rivernear Smith River Kayaks | 62 cfs-1.49 ft | 87 cfs | Below normal17th percentile · 57 yr record |
| Cosumnes Rivernear SUP California - Stand Up Paddle Board Store & Rentals | 44 cfs2.76 ft | 14 cfs | Above normal83rd percentile · 119 yr record |
| Los Angeles Rivernear Paddle Method | 35 cfs0.63 ft | 20 cfs | Normal62nd percentile · 84 yr record |
| Tule Canalnear SUP California - Stand Up Paddle Board Store & Rentals | 20 cfs9.16 ft | 15 cfs | Normal63rd percentile · 81 yr record |
| South Fork Kern Rivernear Sierra South Mountain Sports | 18 cfs2.89 ft | 16 cfs | Normal53rd percentile · 115 yr record |
| East Fork Coyote Creeknear O'Neill Forebay Rentals | 13 cfs4.80 ft | 4.7 cfs | No historical record |
| Jamul Creeknear West Coast Paddle Board Rentals | 10 cfs1.59 ft | 0.0 cfs | Above normal76th percentile · 86 yr record |
| Alameda Creeknear All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting | 9.2 cfs2.36 ft | 7.4 cfs | No historical record |
| Lagunitas Creeknear Blue Waters Kayaking | 8.7 cfs1.73 ft | 8.1 cfs | Above normal84th percentile · 43 yr record |
| Tule Rivernear Kaweah Whitewater Adventures | 7.5 cfs2.58 ft | 4.1 cfs | Normal67th percentile · 26 yr record |
| Arroyo Vallenear All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting | 7.2 cfs2.87 ft | 1.4 cfs | Normal67th percentile · 57 yr record |
| Dry Creeknear Delta Kayak Rentals | 6.7 cfs52.36 ft | 0.0 cfs | Much above normal95th percentile · 100 yr record |
| Alameda Creeknear Sea Trek Kayak and SUP (Alameda) | 6.3 cfs6.95 ft | 0.1 cfs | Above normal86th percentile · 67 yr record |
| South Fork Tule Rivernear Sierra South Mountain Sports | 5.2 cfs2.03 ft | 2.6 cfs | Normal74th percentile · 26 yr record |
| Deer Creeknear Sierra South Mountain Sports | 4.1 cfs2.58 ft | 2.6 cfs | Normal61st percentile · 58 yr record |
| Arroyo Mochonear All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting | 3.8 cfs5.11 ft | 5.6 cfs | No historical record |
| San Mateo Creeknear Half Moon Bay Kayak Co. | 3.8 cfs4.14 ft | 3.3 cfs | Above normal79th percentile · 18 yr record |
| Pilarcitos Creeknear Half Moon Bay Kayak Co. | 2.7 cfs2.49 ft | 2.4 cfs | No historical record |
| Pescadero Creeknear Half Moon Bay Kayak Co. | 2.4 cfs1.82 ft | 1.9 cfs | Normal61st percentile · 75 yr record |
| Los Penasquitos Creeknear La Jolla Kayak | 1.6 cfs1.65 ft | 1.2 cfs | Normal62nd percentile · 62 yr record |
| San Gregorio Creeknear Half Moon Bay Kayak Co. | 1.5 cfs3.68 ft | 0.9 cfs | Normal66th percentile · 57 yr record |
| Wheatfield Fork Gualala Rivernear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 1.5 cfs4.47 ft | 1.2 cfs | Normal53rd percentile · 35 yr record |
| San Lorenzo Creeknear Sea Trek Kayak and SUP (Alameda) | 1.3 cfs2.68 ft | 1.3 cfs | Normal49th percentile · 59 yr record |
| East Austin Creeknear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 1.1 cfs2.19 ft | 1.6 cfs | Normal40th percentile · 67 yr record |
| San Diego Creeknear Laguna Ethos | 1.1 cfs10.34 ft | 0.5 cfs | Much above normal91st percentile · 25 yr record |
| Novato Creeknear Blue Waters Kayaking | 0.9 cfs2.79 ft | 0.0 cfs | Much above normal95th percentile · 80 yr record |
| Maacama Creeknear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 0.9 cfs3.56 ft | 0.6 cfs | Normal69th percentile · 65 yr record |
| Mark West Creeknear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 0.8 cfs38.64 ft | 0.8 cfs | Normal49th percentile · 21 yr record |
| Arroyo Trabuconear Laguna Ethos | 0.6 cfs10.69 ft | 1.5 cfs | Normal31st percentile · 54 yr record |
| San Diego Rivernear West Coast Paddle Board Rentals | 0.4 cfs1.63 ft | 0.4 cfs | Normal49th percentile · 114 yr record |
| Santa Rosa Creeknear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 0.3 cfs23.24 ft | 0.5 cfs | Normal39th percentile · 87 yr record |
| San Leandro Creeknear Sea Trek Kayak and SUP (Alameda) | 0.3 cfs2.55 ft | 0.2 cfs | Normal51st percentile · 80 yr record |
| San Gabriel Rivernear Kayaks On the Water | 0.3 cfs3.65 ft | 38 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 71 yr record |
| Arroyo Seconear Paddle Method | 0.2 cfs0.98 ft | 0.4 cfs | Normal36th percentile · 115 yr record |
| San Leandro Creeknear All-Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting | 0.2 cfs7.45 ft | 0.2 cfs | Normal55th percentile · 46 yr record |
| Los Coches Creeknear West Coast Paddle Board Rentals | 0.1 cfs2.50 ft | 0.2 cfs | Below normal20th percentile · 43 yr record |
| Brea Creeknear Kayaks On the Water | 0.1 cfs1.09 ft | 0.2 cfs | Normal35th percentile · 84 yr record |
| Middle Fork Kaweah Rivernear Kaweah Whitewater Adventures | 0.1 cfs6.73 ft | 0.3 cfs | Below normal20th percentile · 13 yr record |
| San Francisquito Creeknear Half Moon Bay Kayak Co. | 0.1 cfs0.16 ft | 0.2 cfs | Normal32nd percentile · 96 yr record |
| Laguna de Santa Rosanear Watertreks EcoTours Jenner Kayaks | 0.0 cfs55.48 ft | 0.0 cfs | Normal53rd percentile · 27 yr record |
| Temescal Washnear Laguna Ethos | 0.0 cfs20.64 ft | 0.0 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 13 yr record |
| Borrego Canyon Washnear Laguna Ethos | 0.0 cfs8.12 ft | 0.0 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 10 yr record |
| San Juan Creeknear Laguna Ethos | 0.0 cfs9.99 ft | 0.0 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 41 yr record |
| San Mateo Creeknear Laguna Ethos | 0.0 cfs5.85 ft | 0.0 cfs | No historical record |
| Santa Maria Creeknear La Jolla Kayak | 0.0 cfs0.10 ft | 0.0 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 113 yr record |
| San Dieguito Rivernear La Jolla Kayak | 0.0 cfs0.06 ft | 0.0 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 79 yr record |
| Sweetwater Rivernear West Coast Paddle Board Rentals | 0.0 cfs2.91 ft | 0.0 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 21 yr record |
Streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey, updated hourly. "Usually today" is the median for this calendar date over the gauge's full record. A gauge tells you how much water is moving, not whether a run is safe: check the class, the hazards, and a current local report before you put on.
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